Friday, September 9, 2022

SURAH 33:56 – WHO IS ALLAH PRAYING TO?

 



Many will be surprised to learn that Allah actually prays. The Quran not only admits that Allah prays but it also reveals the very objective of his prayers. It reveals that Allah prays on the Prophet. In other words, Allah prays for Muhammad. And the Angels join him in praying for Muhammad. We encourage our readers, especially Muslims, to digest the information provided here carefully. Let us begin by first reading this vital Quranic verse:

Surah 33:56: Surely Allah and His Angels shower Serenity (Literally: shower prayers) on the Prophet. O you who have believed, pray for benediction on him, and submit in full submission. (Muhammad Ghali)

The Arabic word used here in Surah 33:56 is “yusalloona.” The above Muslim translator is fully aware of the true meaning of this Arabic word. He knows that it should be translated literally as “shower prayers.” Therefore, Surah 33:56 should be correctly translated as: “Surely Allah and His Angels shower prayers on the Prophet.” Since he understands the accurate meaning of this Arabic term, why does he not translate it correctly right away? Why does he choose to reveal the correct meaning only in parenthesis?

This is because Muslim translators such as the above and many others like him are horrified by the implications of this Quranic verse. Therefore, they deliberately mistranslate this Quranic verse. Most of them translate this verse to mean: “Allah and his angels shower blessings on the prophet.” The problem is that the Arabic word for “blessings” is “baarika.” And this word does not appear anywhere in this Quranic verse. The Arabic word used in Surah 33:56 is “yusalloona” which is a verbal form of the word “salah” or “salat.” The meaning of “salah” or “salat” is prayer or worship. The plural of “salat” is “salatwat.” Compare now the following translation:

Surah 33:56: Allah sends His Salat on the Prophet and also His angels too. O you who believe! Send your Salat on him and greet him with the Islamic way of greeting. (Hilali-Khan) Personal commentary of the Translator in parenthesis omitted.

Therefore, the correct translation of Surah 33:56 involves the prayer of Allah for Muhammad. This Quranic verse is absolutely damaging for Islam. To whom is Allah praying to? Is there another deity above him to whom he supplicates? The very suggestion that God prays is totally absurd. In fact, we are told in the Quran that not only does Allah pray for Muhammad but he also prays for his worshippers. In view of their importance, we have provided three different translations of the following Quranic verses:

Surah 2:156-157: Who, when an affliction afflicts them, say, “Surely we belong to Allah, and surely to Him we are returning.” Upon those are the prayers from their Lord, and mercy; and those are they who are the right-guided. (Muhammad Ghali)

Who, in adversity say: “We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return.” On those will be prayers and mercy from their Lord, those are guided. (Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah)

Those who if a disaster or any other thing hated struck them they said: “We are to God, and we are to Him returning.” Those, on them are prayers from their Lord and a mercy, and those are the guided. (Samira)

The Arabic word for “prayers” in the above Quranic verses is “salawatun.” These verses clearly testify that Allah’s prayers are upon those who return to him in faith. This proves that Allah prays. In concurrence with the teachings of the Quran, both the Hadiths and the Tafsirs also confirm that Allah prays. Let us consider now the Hadith of a renowned Muslim scholar.

The “Meadows of the Righteous” (Arabic: Riyadh as-Salihin) is a compilation of important verses from the Quran by renowned Muslim scholar, Al-Nawawi (1233–1277). The “Meadows of the Righteous” is a collection of vital Quranic with commentary from authentic Hadiths to clarify their true meaning. Al-Nawawi documented the following details under the heading, Book of Knowledge, 241. Chapter: The Excellence of Knowledge:

1387. Abu Umama reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Allah and His angels and the people of the heavens and the earth, even the ants in their rocks and the fish, pray for blessings on those who teach people good.” (At-Tirmidhi)

And

2685. Abu Umamah al-Bahili narrated: “Two men were mentioned before the Messenger of Allah. One of them a worshipper, and the other a scholar. So the Messenger of Allah said: ‘The superiority of the scholar over the worshipper is like my superiority over the least of you.’ Then the Messenger of Allah said: ‘Indeed Allah, His Angels, the inhabitants of the heavens and the earths – even the ant in his hole, even the fish – say Salat upon the one who teaches the people to do good. (Hasan) — English Translation of Jami’ At-Tirmidhi, Compiled by Imam Hafiz ‘Eisa Mohammad Ibn ‘Eisa At-Tirmidhi, From Hadith no. 2606 to 3290, translated by Abu Khaliyl

The above Hadith is categorized as “Hasan” which means it is recognized as authentic by Muslim scholars. Read carefully the words of Muhammad in the above Hadith once again. He is clearly testifying that Allah, like the rest of the creations, “say Salat (prayer) upon the one who teaches the people to do good.” We will now consider the Tafsir of another renowned Muslim scholar.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir on Surah 33:56:

The people of Israel said to Moses: “Does your Lord pray?” His Lord called him saying: “O Moses, they asked you if your Lord prays. Say to them: ‘Yes, I do pray, and my angels pray upon my prophets and my messengers,’” and Allah then sent down on his messenger: “Allah and His angels pray . . .” (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Q. 33:56; translated from the Arabic online edition)

Of course, the true “Lord” of Moses does not pray. Since God is Almighty, it is impossible for Him to pray. Allah the impostor who prays is claiming to be the God of Moses. This clearly proves that Allah is not the true God. The Quran reveals that Allah is a fellow-worshipper along with the rest of the angels. This is clearly polytheism. Sadly for Muslims, they pray to a god who prays. And they follow a prophet who has the authority to interrupt their prayers to Allah. And this authority comes at a great cost to Muslims because it empowers Muhammad to prevent Allah from listening to the prayers of those whom he interrupts. Muhammad has to be greater or equal in authority with Allah to prevent him from listening to your prayers. When Muhammad calls, Muslims must stop whatever they are doing and respond to his call. And this includes their prayers. Muslims, we are not the ones saying this but your Prophet:

Surah 8:24: “O you who believe! Answer the call of Allah and His Apostle when he calls you to that which gives you life; and know that Allah intervenes between man and his heart, and that to Him you shall be gathered.” (Shakir)

Carefully consider now how the Prophet of Islam clarified both the meaning and the application of the above Quranic verse.

Sahih Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60, Number 226:

Narrated Abu Said Al-Mualla: While I was praying, the Prophet passed by and called me, but I did not go to him till I had finished my prayer. When I went to him, he said, “What prevented you from coming?” I said, “I was praying.” He said, “Didn’t Allah say” “O you who believe Give your response to Allah and to His Apostle.” (Surah 8:24)

Sahih Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60, Number 1:

Narrated Abu Said bin Al-Mu’alla: While I was praying in the Mosque, Allah’s Apostle called me but I did not respond to him. Later I said, “O Allah’s Apostle! I was praying.” He said, “Didn’t Allah say – Give your response to Allah (by obeying Him) and to His Apostle when he calls you.” (Surah 8:24)

This proves that Muslims must respond to the call of Muhammad even while they are praying. They are required to honor Muhammad above Allah. Why do we say that? On the surface it may appear that Muhammad was only demanding the Muslims to recognize his right to interrupt their prayers. However, there is more to this. It is important to note that each time Muhammad interrupts the prayer of a Muslim, he simultaneously interrupts Allah from receiving the prayer of that Muslim. This means that Muhammad has the authority to even interrupt Allah from receiving the prayers of his worshippers. Does not this exalt Muhammad to a position equal or even greater than Allah? Is this not polytheism? Can you then deny that in reality Islam has two gods?

The true God is identified by this divine name in the Holy Bible. His divine name is Jehovah. He is God Almighty. As such, it is impossible for Him to pray. On the other hand, Allah prays. This clearly proves that he is not the true God. He is but an impostor.

Before we conclude this article, we want to clarify an important fact. We want our Muslim readers to understand that true Christians do not worship Jesus. The Holy Bible does allow for this. However, we firmly believe that Jesus is the unique Son of God. And we sincerely obey all the teachings of Jesus Christ which are recorded in the Holy Bible. One such teaching is the profound statement of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus clearly stated:

Matthew 4:10: For it is written: “It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.”

This teaching of Jesus Christ rules out the worship of anyone else besides Jehovah. In obedience to his teaching, we worship Jehovah alone. He is the only true God.

Dr. Max Shimba for Max Shimba Ministries Org.

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